After It All
by EllaBean
Summary: I always wanted to find a nice story about Troy and Gabriella as they navigate college. If you are a Hallmark fan you will love this. There will be a happy ending ensued, and Troyella forever! I am not sure if I will make this a short story, or a longer one. Let me know if you like it!
1. Chapter 1

It had been three days since their graduation, and Gabriella was blissfully happy. She was driving back to Stanford, but this time Troy was in the seat next to her, driving. She felt so different this time. last time all she felt was dread, but this time she knew that she and Troy could actually stay together. they could be each other's rocks, and everything would be perfect. Eventually, with happy thoughts I mind, she drifted off to sleep.

(Troy's POV)

I was driving my old, white pickup truck, and I saw Gabriella with a smile on her face and my heart gave a little flutter. Her beautiful brown curls were blowing in the wind. All I could think about was how lucky I felt. This beautiful girl, who was kind, gentle, talented, and everything anyone could ever want. I had to force myself to keep my eyes on the road. After a while, I realized that she had fallen asleep as she curled up in a ball with her breathing steady and her eyes closed. Even when she was asleep she was beautiful. By the time we arrived at her dorm she was still asleep, but she had shifted so that she had her hands closed around my arm, and her head was on my shoulder. I wanted to just stay like this forever. Her body melded perfectly into mine. After debating for a bit on whether or not to wake her up I decided to wake her up. She slowly stirred and let out a small mewing sound, which made me laugh.

"Troy? Are we here already? I am so sorry that I fell asleep on you!" She exclaimed. I only laughed and replied,

"It is completely fine, you look like you needed the rest, and to answer your question we are back at your dorm."

"Ohh. Is it terrible that all I want to do is just stay with you?" she said with a sigh.

"I do too, but I will see you tomorrow! You promised me that you would help me unpack and get my dorm ready."

"At least we have that." She then moved to turn away, but quickly gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Is that all?" I asked with a mischievous smile.

"If you don't smile like that I might give you a proper kiss." She replied. I immediately became completely solemn. She only laughed that beautiful laugh that I loved with all my heart. She then gave me a quick peck on the lips, hopped out of the car, ran into her dorm building, and blew me a kiss. Of course, I cheesily caught it and blew one back at her. She just giggled and was then out of sight. I sighed and drove away with a smile on my face, feeling wonderfully happy.

Next Morning...

I woke up the next morning to the sound of the opening of my door. The next thing I knew Troy had walked in, bearing coffee and my favorite donut, double chocolate.

"Hello, sleepyhead," he said kissing me on the forehead. I yawned as I slowly got up.

"Aww, you take such good care of me,"I said happily. I love him so much! Ever since my dad died I was loved by my mom, but I always wanted to feel the love of a guy, and Troy took care of me when I was at my worst and best.

"Thank you for getting breakfast!"

"No problem. I am going to make you my worker for the next couple hours. I am just ensuring maximum work capacity." He and I just looked at each other and laughed.

"So," he started again,"This is your dorm. It is more like a suite!"

"Since I was a part of the special honors program I have a dorm that I only have to share with another one of the honors candidates. So far she seems really nice and smart. She is majoring in law also! We are going to study together!"

"Well, it seems like you will be well taken care of here. I haven't seen my dorm yet. I just stayed in a motel last night, because I didn't feel like driving anymore."

"You should have told me!" I said. "You could have stayed here on the couch!"

"Gabi, don't worry. I have managed to sleep on the floor in Chads room. Anything is better than that." he shuddered at the thought. I only laughed. We sat and ate for a little bit longer then we got on the road. It was only about a half an hour drive to Troy's dorm, and then we parked the car and went dorm was a pretty small, average dorm size. It had two bunk beds and a small bathroom off to the side.

"Well, here is my new home!" he said with a smile, "the college said that I was put in a dorm with a fellow basketball player, so it should be interesting." Just then a tall, olive-skinned guy walked in. He had brown hair, hazel eyes, and a mischevious smile. He then walked up to troy and started talking.

"Well, you must be my new roommate! My name is Daniel Whister, but people usually call me Danny or DW."

"My name is Troy Bolton, and this is Gabriella." With a little smirk, Danny came up to me and started flirting, or at least his attempt at it.

"Hello, hot cakes. You can call me Danny." Troy immediately pulled him away by his shirt and said to Danny,

"This is my girlfriend who you will never hit on again." Danny just laughed and said,

"Don't worry bro. I was just seeing if it was an awkward, best friends that like each other or something that was legit."

"What about just asking?" Troy said.

"I could have done that, but if you guys were just best friends, then it would have created more of an awkward situation."

"Well," I decided to interject now,"Now that we have had our first meeting, would you be willing to help get some of Troy's stuff out of the car?"

"Sure thing! Are you going here too?"

"No, I am going to Stanford, law."

"Wow. Troy, you got yourself a keeper here. Smart and beautiful!"

"Don't I know it." Troy said then put his arm around me and said, "Let's get to it!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2(Troys pov)

By the time we had finished unloading everything from my car, it was lunchtime, and the three of us decided to go to the university cafeteria to eat and get to know Danny better. So far I wasn't sure what to think of him. He seemed nice, but like a bit of a player. I don't think he meant any harm by flirting with Gabriella. I think he genuinely was curious. AS we talked over lunch, I started asking questions about where he was from, and what brought him to the University of California. It was interesting walking around the university campus. It felt really cool to be just a college student. Free to do whatever I wanted. I was also excited to meet new friends. We finally got to the cafeteria and got our food. the cafeteria alone was huge and there were many different options for food, however, it tasted a step above gas station food. We all then sat down and started eating and talking.

"So Danny," Gabby asked,"when did you get to campus?"

"I got here a week ago for summer classes. I had decided to take 1 of the classes that I would have taken during basketball season so that I would not be overwhelmed by it."

"That is really cool! What are you majoring in?" Gabriella questioned.

"I have always wanted to be an engineer. Of course, I love basketball, but I am not good enough to make it to the pros."

"Well, an engineer is a really good career. I wish you the best of luck." Gabriella said,"I am going to get some more lemonade."

"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked.

"Don't worry, Troy. I will be just fine." She said with a smile.

She then got up and walked over to the dink dispenser. While she was gone, Danny and I got caught up in a conversation about basketball. it turns out that he had picked up basketball as a hobby in 8th grade and was pretty good at it, so he tried out for the high school team, and had been playing ever since. It was really interesting to learn about him a little more. He told me about his family, and how he was the oldest of three, and he had two sisters, and I told him about me. After about five minutes, I realized that Gabriella still had not come back, so Danny and I decided to clean up and look for her. I realized that I was probably being overprotective, but I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling. After Danny and I had looked all around the food court, we decided to split up. he would stay at our table in case she just had gone to the bathroom, and I went outside to call her and see where she was. I called her, and she didn't pick up. i tried again, and after a few rings she picked up.

"Troy?"

She sounded a little muffled, and her voice was a little shaky.

"Gabriella, honey, where are you?"

"Troy, could you come to the family bathrooms over by the drinking fountains."

"Of course, but why.." she had already hung up.

I quickly walked to the bathroom and then knocked on the door.

"Honey? Are you in there."I asked.

"Hey, Troy. Could you pass me your sweatshirt?" I did so, and then she came out, wearing it.

"What happened!? I was so worried," I said to her.

"I was refilling my cup, and then some tall blond guy, who I think was a football player came up to me, and started talking to me. At first, I thought he was being friendly, but then he invited me to his dorm and started making inappropriate suggestions. I told him that I had a boyfriend, but he thought I was playing hard to get. He then tried to touch me and I started walking away. He then grabbed my arm, and I pulled it away. At this point, we were right by here, and I moved to get inside the bathroom, but he grabbed my shirt, and it ripped. I immediately ran into the bathroom. Just after that, you called me. I am not sure where he is now." she said all this calmly. I, however, was livid. How many times had something like this happened when I wasn't around. My mind was spinning. All that I could think to do was pull her close to me, and hug her, not letting her go. Eventually, we started to walk back to Danny, and we talked. She seemed completely calm about the situation, and I could only think of how lucky I was to have such a beautiful, strong girlfriend.

"We will talk about his more later," I whispered in her ear.

"Ok. Just please don't tell anyone. At least until we can talk more about it."

"Whatever you want,"I said.


	3. Chapter 3

_**I will give you a warning. This chapter is pure fluff. If you dont like that kind of stuff it might not be for you.**_

Chapter 3

Troy and Gabriella walked back to Danny and did their best to act nonchalant, and if Danny was suspicious he did not let it on. They finished their lunch and headed back to the dorm. Troy was still very concerned but was doing his best to remain calm for Gabriella's sake. After they completed moving Troy into his dorm Troy and Gabriella said goodbye to Danny, and then they stopped by In-N-Out burger, and Troy dropped Gabriella off at her dorm, but as she turned to walk away, Troy grabbed her hand.

"Gabby? Are you sure you are alright? I can't help but think that if I had only been there to protect you, this never would have happened. He would never have touched you."

"Troy. You couldn't have known. We both have never been to college before. It is a whole new world now. We arent in East High anymore, but I think that it is important for situations like this to happen so that we can learn how to deal with something like this as adults. It is important to have something happen in every relationship so that we can learn how to work together in hard times as well as in good times."

Troy still looked worried, unconvinced, and guilty, but he dropped Gabriella's hand and said a reluctant goodnight. Gabriella looked like she was about to say something, but before she could continue Troy drove away. She watched as the car drove away, and she felt sad, but not from the guy that was flirting with her that afternoon. She felt strangely unaffected from that. She was unnerved at first, but she had already been teased in her previous schools, and flirting vs. teasing felt surprisingly similar. The only thing that worried her was how Troy was feeling and was trying to think of ways to show him how unaffected she truly was.

Next Morning...

Troy got up early the next morning. It was Sunday, and basketball practice did not start until Monday. He wanted to talk to Gabriella, but how could he look her in the eye, and pretend that he wasn't affected by the fact that he couldn't protect her. If it was in High School then it would be easy for him to deal with this, but the fact that he wasn't known now made it so hard. He was in a new environment where he didn't have any influence or sway. If he was still in high school he could at least talk to the teachers or deal with the jerk himself. Now he was the underdog. In a new place, he had never known and didn't have many friends either. A buzzing noise then startled him from his thoughts. He looked over and saw a text on his phone from Gabriella.

"Hey, handsome:) Do you want to go get lunch later. It would be nice to talk about what happened yesterday. I'll meet you at Blaze in between our dorms. xoxo"

After thinking for a while Troy decided to go and talk with her. He needed to learn that he wasn't going to be around all the time and that he should trust her to take care of herself. If she got hurt of course he would blame himself, but he would be there no matter what to pick up the pieces. If she needed him he would come. He still had a couple hours until he neede to meet her, so he decided to pick up his guitar and sing which always helped him clear his head. He hadn't been playing guitar for long, but it was like an outlet that he didn't know that he had been missing his whole life. He then started playing and eventually wrote a chorus for a song.

Wherever you go

Know that you're never alone

you're forever in my heart

And the moments you need me

No distance could keep me

I will be wherever you are

You could be all the way across the ocean

You might just feel a million miles from me

It don't matter baby I'll come running, oh

I will do anything to make you see

Wherever you go

Know that you're never alone

you're forever in my heart

And the moments you need me

No distance could keep me

I will be wherever you are

And you find pain when you fall down and you hit harder times

Just call my name, I'll always be right by your side

He had never written a song before, and he knew he would never share them with others (except maybe Gabriella), but now he felt complete calm wash over him, and he knew that while protecting someone every minute of every day is impossible, being there when they need help is possible and is almost all you can do. So he put his guitar, stood up and walked o the door to go meet Gabriella.

When Troy got to Blaze, he realized that he was late, but then he saw Gabriella and his heart stopped. She was just sitting at a table but looked so beautiful, and he realized then that one day no matter what he would make her his wife. When he got closer to her he realized that she was crying, and she looked so depressed. He realized that he had made her cry. She was worried. He had hurt his sweet darling, Gabriella. He walked up to her and she immediately brightened. She ran over to him and threw her arms around him and then gave him a kiss.

"I thought you weren't coming."

"I will always be there for you. No matter what. Even if we fight nothing can keep me away from you." He responded with such sincerity that her eyes watered.

"I love you, Troy."

"I love you too. Forever and ever no matter what."

After they finished eating Troy said,"Let's go to the park. I have something I want to show you." When they got there Troy got out his guitar and sang her his song.

"Gabriella. I wrote this song this morning, but I feel like I started writing this song when I first met you. I couldn't think of any other way that would show you how much I love you and care for you. If you ever need me, I will come running. I will always be yours. I am sorry that I was not myself last night. I realize that I was cold. I was blaming myself that I couldn't protect you, but there is no way that we can work if I don't trust you enough to take care of yourself. I will take care of you when you need me, but I realize now that all I can do is protect you when I can, and let your own decision, and I will always be around to pick up the pieces if you get hurt. I love you."

At that point Gabriella was speechless, and her only response was to kiss him and show him her love that she could not express through words.

 ** _The song I used in this chapter was called:"Wherever you are" by Ben Rector. Check it out, though I will warn you that it is meant to be about a dad and daughter, I thought bits of it would be appropriate for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading this!_**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 (Troys pov)

Gabriella and I spent the rest of the day together, just laughing and talking. It was good for us just to have a relaxed day, and not feel any pressure to be somewhere or worry about anything. It was comforting to know that even though college would be tough, we could still go out on a normal date and just forget about everything. After spending the day together we both realized that we needed to get back to our dorms, because Gabby had classes tomorrow, and I had basketball prep. For normal schools, basketball practices wouldn't start so far in advance, but this was a Big Ten school, and it was serious if we weren't at our A game. So I dropped Gabby off at her dorm, and we kissed goodnight. Then Gabby pulled away, and she whispered in my ear:

"Goodnight Wildcat." And with that, she ran inside. I sat in the car staring after her for a minute. How lucky am I that I have her? She is beautiful, smart, and everything I ever wanted. I love her so much. Eventually, I pulled away even though I could still feel the ghost of her lips on mine, and I could taste her cinnamon gum. I started the 40-minute drive back to Berkeley. Eventually, I arrived back at my dorm and crept in, careful not to wake Danny. I quickly pulled on pajama pants and climbed into my bunk. Within seconds I was fast asleep.

Next morning...

I woke up and heard a buzzing. I looked over at my phone and saw that Gabriella had texted me.

"Good morning, Wildcat! I hope basketball practice goes well! Love you xoxo"

I smiled and again thought how lucky I was. It was 6 am, and basketball started at 7. I slowly rolled out of bed, and then got ready for practice. By the time I had made my bed, brushed my teeth, and packed for practice I had 15 minutes to be there, so I grabbed my key and headed out the door. By the time I got to the gym, I had 5 minutes until practice started, so I decided to warm up and do some free throws. After practicing for a couple minutes, the coach walked in, and the team got started on practice. By the end of practice, I realized that it was going to be a lot of hard work, but I think I kept up with the others pretty well, but I would be sore for a week from this practice alone. I slowly walked to the cafeteria to get some breakfast, and then I felt my phone ring. It was Gabriella.

"Hi, Sweetheart," I answered.

"Troy, are you alright? You sound exhausted. did the coach work you that hard? Don't..."

"Gabby. I am fine. It was just a good workout. By the way, I think it is cute that you are worried about me."

"I will always worry about you. That is my job as your girlfriend."

"And I love you for it." She always was so sweet about me taking care of myself.

"Anyway. How was practice?"

"It was good. I think I was able to keep up with everybody, which I was a little worried about. I am really liking Danny, too. He is a solid basketball player, and he seems like a really great guy. We will see how we do living together."

"Well, I am glad that you are feeling good about it. I just was wanting to check in and make sure that you were doing alright."

"I am. What about you? How was your first class?"

"It was okay. The teacher was really interesting, but I feel like some of the students aren't very invested in the class."

"Well, if they are okay wasting this opportunity, then that is their choice. You shouldn't worry about them."

"Thanks. Listen, I have to go. My next class starts soon. I love you, Troy!"

"I love you too, Babe. Have a great day!"

"Bye!"

"See ya!"

After we hung up, I resumed in my quest for breakfast, and then I saw Danny sitting at a table, so after I got my food, I walked up to him. Of course being Danny he greeted me with a:

"You must have just talked to Gabriella to have such a dorky smile on your face."

"I did in fact, and you wish that you had a girlfriend as amazing as her."

"Indeed I do, but not all of us can be as lucky as you."

After that, we both just laughed, and we continued eating. We just talked and laughed. I was really starting to like him. If you put aside his bad-boy facade, then he was a great guy who loved basketball and his sisters. He couldn't stop talking about them. He said that his mom was young when she had him, and his dad had abused him and her. After a couple years he went to the hospital for a check-up, and they figured out that both he and his mom were both abused. After that, they called protective services. His dad was put in prison for 10 years, and they lived on their own. When Danny was 10, his mom met a professor, and they fell in love. The professor, whose name was John, became like a father to Danny, and they were very close. When Danny was 15, his mom became pregnant again (she was 35). 9 months later twin girls were born. they were named Emma and Annie. Danny loved his little sisters. They were now 3. The only reason Danny, himself was able to come to the college was because he received a government scholarship. When Danny finished telling Troy this, all that Troy could think of was how hard Danny must have worked so hard to get here.

 ** _Thank you for reading! I realize that Berkeley is not a Big Ten school, but it works with the story, so C'est la vie. What is the purpose of fanfiction, but to have fun, and not necessarily have to make things factually accurate?_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**This chapter is a bit more serious. One thing that I feel like we miss out on in High School Musical are explanations of where Gabriella's Dad is. I just wanted to give a little more background on Gabriella's past. If you are worried that I will make them all this sad, then don't. It will be happy and fun for the next couple chapters.**_

Chapter 5 (Gabriella's POV)

It had been a week since Troy had started Basketball practice, and it seemed like he enjoyed it, though I could tell he was sore even though he was trying to hide it from me. He always thinks that being tough is what he needs to do for me, but I would rather have him show me his weakness so that I could be strong for him every once in a while, but I love him and his foolish man pride all the same. I am really enjoying my law classes. One class that I am taking is particularly interesting. It is discussing how to view cases objectively to discover the complete and total truth in criminal cases. One philosophy that they believe strongly in at this college is that, unless you know the truth about your case, it will be hard to defend it whether it be a conviction of your client not. It all fascinated me. Defending those who always were immediately assumed to be guilty. Of course, some are guilty of the accused crime, others are not, but in law, you have to believe in innocent until proven guilty. It gave me shivers of delight just thinking about defending a person who had been ramed for a ghastly crime that they did not do, but no one else would believe them, and I would singlehandedly save them from a life in prison. I could really make a difference in some lives. I could provide resolution to families that would otherwise have none. When I was little, my father was killed in a shooting incident in a school. He had been a teacher at a good school, and one day a shooter came in. My dad then took a bullet for students and saved their lives. Most of me felt proud of him, but the selfish part of me felt angry. Why would my dad threw himself in front of a gun when he knew that I would be waiting for him at the window at home like I always did? Why would he sacrifice the chance to see me again? If he really loved me, why would he do this? These questions had plagued me frequently since that day. Lately, I had been more at peace since I had Troy, but tomorrow is the anniversary of his death, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I finished the classes for the day, and then went to the library to study, and finish the assignments due. Technically they weren't due until next week, but I always play safe. I finished up at the library, went to the cafeteria, and then went back to my dorm. I had just finished taking a shower when Troy called.

"Hey Beautiful," he started.

"Hello, Wildcat! How was your day?"

"It was great! Coach pulled me aside today and said that he wants me to be a starter! He also said that he was impressed by my team spirit, and would have made me a captain if I weren't a freshman because it wouldn't be fair to the upperclassmen! Still! I am so excited that I have been able to catch the coaches attention!"

"That is amazing, Troy! I am so proud of you, though I knew you would be amazing!"

"Thanks, Babe. I was also calling to see if you wanted to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" My face turned white at the thought. I still hadn't told Troy about my dad. He knew that my dad had died, but didn't know how. I also hadn't told him about my doubts, and feelings on the matter, but if I told him no he would either be hurt or suspicious or both.

"I would love to!" I said, inwardly knowing that tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Tomorrow Night...

Troy picked me up in his car, and we started driving.

"Where do you want to go tonight?" He asked me.

"Ummm. I am not sure. Maybe someplace casual? I don't really feel like going someplace fancy. I just want to be with you."

"Exactly what I was thinking, Sweetheart."

We then fell silent, and I became lost in my thoughts. After a while, Troy started to speak.

"Gabby, are you okay? You seem so sad."

"I'm fine, Troy."

He looked unconvinced.

"Really, Troy? I am fine."

"Honey, I am just worried about you."

I settled into my thoughts again, and then I just blurted out:

"My dad died 10 years ago."

Troy pulled over.

"Gabby, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because I have been trying to forget."

"What happened?"

"There was a school shooting. My dad stepped in front of a gun to save a student. Part of me has been angry all these years. I was waiting at the door at home like I did every day, and then someone knocked on the door. My mom told me to go into the kitchen, and then I heard her start to sob. I ran into the living room, and an officer came up to me, and I started questioning him. My Dad's best friend then came up to me and said that Daddy wasn't going to come home again. He told me that Daddy wanted me to know that he loved me. I can't remember much else that night. I just remember numbness. He always called me his princess. I just remember thinking that I would never be his princess again." By this time I hadn't realized that I was crying until Troy reached over and wiped the tears from my face.

"Why would he take the bullet, when he knew I was waiting at home?" I sobbed. Troy just brought me over into his lap and hugged me.

"I am so sorry you were going through this alone, baby. What was he like?"

"He was really tall. When my friends met him they were a little scared, but he was so smart and kind. He used to boast saying that I as the most hugged 8 year old in the world. When I was really little we would watch Disney channel every Saturday morning, and I would put my head on his chest. He said he would always be there for me. He was reading Lord of the Rings to me when he died. Every night when he came home, I would wait by the window, and then I would pounce on him as soon as he walked in."

"He sounds wonderful, sweetie."

"You remind me of him. Protective, fiercely loyal, and your eyes are the same color as his."

"I consider that a great compliment."

After a while Gabriella calmed down, and just sat on Troy's lap, hugging him.

"Thank you, Troy. For listening."

"Anytime, anywhere, I will be there for you."

 _ **Thank you so much for reading!**_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Gabriella's POV

Now that I had told Troy about my dad I had felt so calm about the matter with my dad, and the next few weeks after that day I finally was at peace and could look back on the memories with my dad with joy and love instead of bitterness and anger. Ans so, weeks passed, and soon it was time for the official start of the university year. The whole summer troy and I had been working hard, and now it was technically just getting started. Troy and I tried to hang out when we could, but it was hard since we were both full-time students, and Troy had basketball. He and I, however, were better than ever. We talked every day, and we told each other everything. Before we knew it we had already completed the first 2 months of school. This Friday Troy and I will also be going to his college's football game. Even though we go to different universities, we still enjoy hanging out at university events.

Friday Night... (NO one's POV)

Gabriella got ready in her dorm for the game that night and put on a blue shirt to cheer for Berkeley. After a while, she heard Troy's car pull up, and she ran out and hopped in, giving him a kiss.

"How are you, Wildcat?" she said with a smile.

"I am so much better now that you are here with me," he paused," That was really cheesy, wasn't it?" Gabriella giggled and nodded.

"Oh well, it is true. My day became 10 times better now that I have seen you."

"Well, my day got better just seeing you, too!" She said and gave him a kiss. He smiled and hugged her.

"Well, we should probably get going if we want to get to the game on time," Gabriella pointed out.

"True." And so they started driving.

(TRoy's POV)

We arrived at the stadium 15 minutes before the game started, and we got to our seats right before it started. The stadium was an array of blue and gold occasionally speckled with the crimson and gray of Washington state. It was really interesting, and at one point Gabriella and I were put on the big screen. The game was great, and nothing went wrong until the game ended. Berkeley won and Gabriella and I were walking back to my car. Since we both hadn't eaten dinner, we decided to go to a nearby diner that is the students' favorite place to hang out. We then ordered some food and we soon became lost in conversation. After a little while, a large group of students came in, most of which were the football players. Gabby and I kept to ourselves mostly until she looked up and froze. I looked over to where she was staring, and I saw nothing that would raise concern.

"Gabby, what is wrong?" I questioned her.

"Don't freak out, but the guy that hit on me in the cafeteria is over there."

I felt the familiar surge of anger course through me, but I suppressed it for Gabriella's sake.

"Which one is he?" I asked.

"The blond one in the center of the crowd right next to the brunette."

I looked over to the person in question who was "playfully" slapping his friends back. I had to resist the urge to go over and slap him myself, but I knew Gabriella wanted to avoid conflict.

"Do you want to leave?" I asked her, understanding that she probably felt uncomfortable.

"No. What happened was months ago, and it was not that big of a deal. He probably doesn't even remember, and he also wouldn't dare try to hit on me again with you here."

To emphasize her point I pulled her closer to me, put my arm around her, and kissed her. We resumed talking, though Gabriella seemed a bit more mellow compared to earlier.

We stayed there for an hour or so longer, and then we paid and got ready to leave. Gabby was nervous, but I held her hand and led her through the crowd. We had almost reached the door when a random guy popped up out of nowhere and pressed through Gabby and I breaking us apart. After that, the crowd seemed to swallow us up, until I couldn't see her. I walked towards to direction that she had been. I looked around for a few moments until I saw her. The guy who had hit on her months ago was slowly but surely pining her to a wall a few feet away. I was furious, I quickly parted the crowd in order to reach her. I then saw the guy grab her arms and lean in to kiss her when I pulled him off her and punched him square in the jaw. Though I am a basketball player, I have a heavy build. My dad always puts a great importance on weight training and basic fighting, so I knew that his jaw would not break, but he would definitely feel the punch for a few days. Before he could register what happened to him, I felt Gabriella in my arms, and I hoarsely whispered in her ear.

"We should go." I felt her nod, but she did not pull away, so my mind went on autopilot, and I tried to push her away so that we could walk, but she wouldn't.

"Gabby, why don't I give you a piggy back ride out of here. That way we will not be separated again." Before she had time to respond, I had her on my back, and we were out the door.

I put her down when we reached the car and opened the door for her. She then let go of me. When I got in the driver's seat, and looked over and saw her trying not to cry.

"Gabby, did he hurt you?"

"He grabbed my arm, but not enough to injure it."

"I am so sorry I wasn't there."

"Troy, I do not and will never blame you for that. I just wish I had been strong enough to deal with him on my own."

"Babe, there wouldn't have been anything you could do. He was like a head taller than you, and probably had one hundred pounds on you."

"I know that, but I still am trying to think of ways that could have prevented it."

"If there is anything that I can do, please tell me."

"I will. Thank you, Troy."

I still was worried about her, but I knew that it would be best if I just dropped her off at her dorm, so that she could process everything. She was so strong. I am just worried about how I am going to protect her when I am at away basketball games. She is my world, and I don't know what I would do without her.


	7. Chapter 7

_**I am so sorry that I haven't updated in so long! My life has been crazy lately! Also, thank you for the reviews. It is so encouraging and keeps me motivated! Without further ado... let's begin;)**_

Chapter 7 (Troy's POV)

It has been a month since the repeat of the incident with Gabriella. She seemed freaked out immediately after it, but now we had calmed down and settled back into our normal routines. It is now October, and basketball practice was getting more and more intense. Gabby and I were also seeing less and less of each other, however, we do our best to see each other around every week. We are both getting more and more excited for fall break. She and I were thinking of going back to Albuquerque. We just have to make it through these next 2 weeks. Luckily today is Sunday, so I can just enjoy my day off of basketball and see Gabby. We decided to meet at a park that was in between our two colleges. When I got there she was sitting on a bench, reading her favorite book, Pride and Prejudice. I slowly snuck up behind her and kissed her cheek. Most people would immediately realize that it was there significant other, however, Gabby just turned around and slapped me. While I didn't feel anything all I heard was, "Oh my goodness, Troy! I am so sorry!"

All I could do was laugh. She reminded me of a sweet little bunny who could never really hurt anyone, and I loved her all the more for it. After that little incident, our date went smoothly and all too soon it was time to say goodbye and prepare for another week of school. After we parted I felt a familiar feeling of loss. It wasn't that I couldn't live without Gabriella, but that I never want to. It is already hard enough to be only around an hour away. I can only be thankful that I came to Berkeley. The week passed slowly by, and I hadn't been able to see Gabby since Sunday. However, my luck (hopefully) changed for the better in my dramatic arts class on Wednesday. It was announced by my teacher that as a new program, Berkeley and Stanford would unite in one common goal... to create a play performance together. most of the class groaned, but for me, this meant that Gabriella and I could maybe perform together again. My bubble was metaphorically popped as I heard the teachers next words.

"While many may view this as an excellent opportunity, know that after combining the two drama classes as well as the other auditionees, the total number of people who will go out may number as many as 1,000, and we will be choosing maybe 30 people to fill the rolls. To further encourage putting your best foot forward, this performance will be viewed by many and will be performed in the National Theatre. So good luck to you all!"

With those final words, she successfully dashed all my hopes of Gabriella and I actually being able to perform together, but it still was worth a shot. Auditions were in 2 weeks. With the thought of the play or musical in my mind, I set forward to my next class.

I didn't get a chance to check my phone until after basketball, around 4 pm. As I opened up my lock screen, I saw that I had around 10 texts from Gabby. Obviously, she had heard about the play, and I didn't even need to read the texts to guess her reaction. She always spammed me when she was excited about something. I then decided to call her as she had repeatedly told me to do so in her texts.

I heard her number being dialed and put the phone to my ear.

"Troy?"

"Hey, Gabby."

"I am assuming that you finally read my texts."

"You are assuming correctly, my dear."

"Well?"

"Well, what?" I said feigning ignorance.

"Are we going to try out together?"

"Of course, sweetheart. As soon as I heard about it I knew that I wanted to, but Gabby. What will happen if only one of us makes it?"

"Then, we will figure it out together."

I then looked at my watch and realized that I had to go or I would be late for a team dinner.

"Sweetheart," I said, "I have to go now. Can I talk to you later?"

"Definitely. Love you, bye."

"Love you."

With that, we ended the call.

Saturday: 1 1/2 weeks later

I was waiting for Gabby outside the entrance to the theatre where the tryouts were being held. As I looked around I saw many faces, some of which were familiar, others were not. As I picked up my phone to call her again to see where she was, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and heard.

"Hi, Wildcat! Who were you waiting for?"

"My beautiful girlfriend who is 15 minutes late," I said jokingly.

"Come on, let's go in." Without waiting for a reply I grabbed her hand and started walking. She just laughed and smiled. When we entered the auditorium almost every seat was taken, and slowly people were being called back.

"This is going to take a while," Gabby said with a grimace. I only nodded in agreement. Eventually, I heard our names called. We did the audition, and, per usual, Gabby was amazing, and I became pretty certain that she would be in the play, probably a minor role as it was near impossible either of us was going to be one half of the lead couple.

They made one last announcement before we left.

"Thank you all for coming and auditioning. We will have the cast list posted on the website on Friday."

With that Gabby and I walked out.

Friday:

I woke up early on Friday, and I had completely forgotten to check the cast list until later that day. The only reason that I had remembered was because of the pitying glances that followed me all day. When I checked the cast list, I only felt shocked.

Pride and Prejudice Cast:

Elizabeth Bennet- Gabriella Montez

Fitzwilliam Darcy- Byron Steel

...

Colonel Fitzwilliam- Troy Bolton

I could barely register what had happened. Gabriella, my Gabby, ended up with some guy. At this point, I was running on autopilot, so I searched this _Byron Steel_ on the internet. I didn't realize that I could feel worse than I already did, but I managed it. Byron Steel was the guy that hit on Gabriella.

 _ **Thank you so much for reading! I am so sorry again that I haven't updated in a while! It has been really crazy with school. I will try to get an update done next week or sooner. If you like it, let me know. Every time I get a review it makes my day!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hi, Guys! Thank you so much for all the followers and reviews! Each and everyone makes my day!**_

Chapter 8 (Troy's POV)

I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Gabby was going to pretend to be in love with another guy. And with that sick jerk too! My first inclination was to pull out, and just not do it, but if Gabby was going to do it, then I would need to do it so that I could protect her if she even still wanted to do it. It was just then that I got a call.

"Troy. Have you seen the list?" Even through the phone, I could hear the mixed emotions in her voice. It was like she was trying to decide what was the best way to react.

"Yeah, I saw it, Babe," I responded, "I am so happy for you! The lead? This could be a huge opportunity!" I could almost sense her starting to become excited.

"I was so excited when I first saw it, but should I actually do it since we are not together?"

"We still will see each other at every rehearsal. Which is three times the amount we have been seeing each other lately."

"That is true... I guess I will do it. Do you know who this Byron Steel is?"

"That is some bad news, sweetheart. Byron is the blond football player that you have had a few encounters with."

"..."

"Don't worry, Gabs. I will be there at every practice to make sure that he can't hurt you."

"Thank you, Troy. Anyways, I probably should start looking over my lines. Practice starts on Monday!"

"Bye, Babe. Love you."

"Love you too."

Monday Morning:

I was in my seat at the usual time for drama class which was now being turned into rehearsal. I still hadn't seen Gabby. I then saw the director on stage.

"Hello, everyone. As you all know, you, students, have been chosen to perform this play. You are an elite group of excellent actors, and we are very glad to have you here. One by one, please come up to the stage, say your character, and tell us a bit about yourselves, such as favorite sports, subject, etc."

"The first person on the stage was a happy looking young fellow who played Charles Bingley. His name was Thomas Williams. After him came Sara Anderson, who played Jane, as well as a few others. Gabriella then came on.

"Hi! My name is Gabriella Montez, and I am studying to become a lawyer. I am playing Elizabeth Bennet, and my boyfriend is actually here too. He is playing Colonel Fitzwilliam."

I smiled at that and walked up to the stage, and kissed her on the cheek, and then I announced myself. After everyone had finished introducing themselves, the director asked each of us to go on stage and do a few of our lines. Everyone went. As Gabby walked on stage and performed, I couldn't help but have a cheesy looking smile on my face. It was clear to me that she was made for this role. She played her part so perfectly that it made me want to rush to the character's defense.

I obviously was smiling too much as the guy next to me said to me, "I wouldn't smile as much, you know she has a boyfriend."

I turned towards the guy and I saw that it was Thomas Williams. He was smiling in a knowing way and continued.

"You look like you have already fallen hard. I will say that she is beautiful, do you know her from classes?"

"I do. I have had a crush on her for the longest time," I responded with a smile.

"Wait, are you her boyfriend?"

"That I am. I have been for 3 years. We met in High School, and we quickly fell in love. We have been dating ever since."

I must have again started my smiling, as Thomas said, "Boy, I haven't even seen the two of you interact and I can see that you are whipped."

"I am proud to be so." As I said this we started talking and before I knew it, it was my time to perform.

I felt great about both Gabby's and my performance. However, the director looked at me funnily and then stood straight up.

"Excuse me, everyone. I am afraid that there has been a terrible mistake. It seems that two of the applicant's resumes have been mixed up. I do apologize, but Mr. Byron Steel you never were intended for the show. You were intended to be an understudy for Mr. Wickham. Another applicant had been misinformed, and they are Colonel Fitzwilliam. Mr. Troy Bolton, you were meant to be Mr. Darcy. I do apologize to Mr. Steel."

I didn't hear anything after that. All I felt was an overwhelming feeling of joy and relief. I can't remember much else, but I do remember kissing Gabriella and twirling her around. Everything had worked out perfectly, and I couldn't be happier. I knew then that this was going to be a great year of college.

Time Passes...

As the play has been starting, it has been really fun to be able to see Gabby so often. At least 5 days a week we are spending together working on the play. Originally when the play was announced, Gabby and I both were disappointed that there would be no music, but the director soon made an announcement saying that musical numbers would be worked into the play. It felt so good to get back into the theatre, but I knew that soon I would become overworked and exhausted as basketball season starts in January and it is November. Before we knew it, it was Thanksgiving break, and Gabby and I were heading back to Alberquerque. It was the day before we were scheduled to leave, and I felt my phone buzz. I looked down and saw that Gabriella was calling.

"Hey Sweetheart," I said.

"Hi, Wildcat! I was just checking in before we leave tomorrow. Remember that our flight is at 9 pm. have you got everything packed? And will you be picking up me, or should we meet at the airport? Also, remember to wear something comfy tomorrow for the airplane. Can I borrow a phone charger too? should I print off the tickets tonight?"

"Woah, Gabs. Slow down. I know what time our flight is at. I am almost done packing. I will pick you up tomorrow at 6:30 in front of your dorm, and I will bring a phone charger and the printed tickets. Was there anything I forgot?"

"I don't think so. Sorry for going crazy there for a sec." I could virtually hear her blushing through the phone.

"Ok, then. I have to go to practice now, Babe. I love you so much."

"I love you too. See you tomorrow."

Next Day... (Gabriella's POV)

I was waiting for Troy to come anxiously. I couldn't stop checking my watch. Uggh it is only 6:25. This means that I will have to wait longer. Troy has a habit of always arriving exactly on time, no sooner, no later. While it was annoying as I love to be as early as possible, I love him and his quirks, also he is just so darn cute! As I became lost in my thoughts I soon heard his car pull up. I ran outside and hugged him. It felt so good just to be in his arms. Since we had been doing the play we almost had no time just to go on dates or hang out. I have been so excited for this trip!

"Ready?" He asked me.

"Yep!" I responded. I moved to grab my bags, but before I knew what had happened, Troy had grabbed them.

"I can carry my own bags."

"I know, but I promised that I would always take care of you. Carrying your bags is a small thing I can do to care for you." I pretended to be annoyed, but I couldn't help but smile. He is the cutest thing. Even after three years he still makes me get butterflies in my stomach.

"Fine."

He put my bags in the trunk and then opened the door for me. As we drove to the airport we turned on the radio and started blasting the music. Then the radio switched songs, and All of Me came on. When the chorus cam eon Troy started to belt it out.

"Troy! You are so cheesy!" He only smirked and continued to sing. We arrived at the airport and checked our bags. It was so fun to just hang out as we walked to our gate. We boarded and got ready to take off. I barely remember the flight as I soon fell asleep on Troy's shoulder. The next thing I remember was Troy waking me up.

"Gabby," he spoke in a sing-songy tone. "Wake up, Honey... Sweetheart."

"Hmm. Troy? Are we there yet?" Before he could answer my question the flight monitor came on.

"Get ready, folks. We are descending into Alberquerque."

"We are home, Gabby."

 _ **Sorry for the time it took me to update! Life has been very hectic! Enjoy!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Just pure fluff in this chapter! Enjoy!**_

As the flight landed, I looked over to see how Gabriella was doing. She was, as usual, making sure that everything was ready for us to hop off the flight. By the time we arrived at the gate it was almost 11 pm, so we grabbed our bags, rented a car, and arrived at my house. Gabriella's mother had left Albuquerque when Gabby moved to college, so we were both staying at my house. I found the key under the flower pot, and opened the door, assuming that both my parents would be asleep, but as soon as we walked in my mom pounced and started talking at 100 miles an hour. Except for this time she wasn't talking to me, she was hugging Gabby and taking care of her, completely ignoring me.

"Mom! Any love left to spare for your only son?"

"Oh hush, honey! Now be a good boy and carry Gabriella's bags up to the guest room."

Recognizing that it was useless to argue, I grudgingly carried our bags upstairs. Gabby giggled and then, arm in arm with my mom walked into the kitchen. When I came back downstairs, I saw my mom had wrapped a blanket around Gabby and given her a cup of hot apple cider. I couldn't bear to feel annoyed at my mom, as this made me feel happier than all the coddling in the world would. The two women I love most just talking like any mother and daughter would. Gabriella then looked up.

"Why are you skulking over there, Troy? You could join us."

Without answering her I solemnly walked over to them, and once she had turned back to my mom, I gave her a giant bear hug and stole her apple cider.

"Hey! Troy!" She pouted. She looked so adorable, and I couldn't resist her even if I wanted to. I gave her back her cider and sat next to her at the table, putting my arm around her.

She looked at me and smiled. This was home. I then turned to face my mom, who was smiling like the Cheshire cat. Knowingly looking at us. I then decided to change the subject.

"So, Mother dear, do you know where my old man is?"

"Your 'old' man is in the tv room asleep on the couch. I swear he cannot stay awake past 10 these days, and he is only 45!"

Gabby and I both chuckled. Gabby then rose up to leave.

"I might go to bed now… I am exhausted. Thank you, Mrs. Bolton, for letting me stay here and for the apple cider!"

"Oh, any time dear. And no more of that Mrs. Bolton stuff. Call me Mom or Lucille! You are family!"

"Thank you, Mom," Gabby responded. She then turned to me, "Night, Troy."

"Goodnight Sweetheart. Sleep well." I kissed her on the cheek, and she left. Once she left the room. My mom turned to me, saying:

"Well, when am I going to have grandbabies?"

"MOM! We are freshmen in college!" Despite the outward protests, internal pictures flashed in my head. Gabriella wearing a white dress, Gabriella pregnant, Gabriella holding a baby. Everything appeared so natural and perfect. Mom then brought me back to reality.

"I knew all your protests were false. Honey, you have been hit hard. Every part of you screams 'whipped'."

"If loving her is whipped, then I am most definitely whipped. Mom, she is the best thing that ever happened to me. She is smart, brilliant, funny, and kind. What did I ever do to deserve her?"

"Don't sell yourself short, Honey. She feels the same way about you as you do about her, but Troy, be careful. She is a wonderful woman and I love her to pieces, but don't idolize her. It will do neither of you any good. She has her faults and so do you, but part of true love is recognizing the other person's faults and loving them despite them and helping them improve. I will say that despite this, you two are the cutest couple I have ever seen!"

This last thing she said was I full fangirl mode, and I rolled my eyes. Nevertheless, I appreciated the advice she gave. We talked for a bit more, and then I went upstairs. Before going into my room, I looked into the guest room and saw Gabriella fast asleep like a little bump under the covers. I went up to her and kissed her forehead.

"I love you forever, my girl."

(Gabriella's POV)

I woke up the next morning feeling more well rested than I had in months. I looked over at my clock and saw that it was 8:30. I hopped out of bed, and went downstairs, not bothering to brush my teeth or hair. When I entered the kitchen, I saw that Mom Bolton had made buttermilk pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bolton were sitting at the table eating.

"Hello!"

"Hi, Sweetie! Help yourself to breakfast. Did you sleep well?" Mom Bolton said this so cheerily, I was amazed any person could be this cheerful this early in the morning.

"Yes, I did, better than I have for months! Thank you for breakfast!"

"I am glad to hear it! Jack greet Gabriella!"

"Honey, I was waiting for you to finish. I swear the poor girl doesn't need two people harassing her at once." He spoke to me," It's great to see you, Gabriella." He then hugged me. We had had our difficulties in the past, but eventually, we came to terms and he was like a father to me."

"It's good to see you too! How are the Wildcat's looking this year?"

"Well, I don't think we can beat last years team, but pretty good."

"That's great." I moved to get my breakfast, then asked, "Is Troy awake yet?"

"We haven't seen him."

"How late did you guys stay up last night?"

"Well, honey, he seemed considerably less interested in staying up after you went to bed, so only a half hour or so." Mom Bolton said.

I laughed, "Well since he is being such a sleepy-head, I think we have two clear options. Either we wake him up, or I see some embarrassing pictures and hear some stories."

Both of them started laughing and started a story.

(Troy's POV)

I woke up to the sound of laughter. I looked around and realized that I wasn't in my dorm. Everything from last night started coming back to me. I hopped out of bed quickly. I am so excited. I get to see Gabby from the time I wake up... what would it be like to see her every morning? I raced downstairs loudly as I always did when I was little.

"He's here," Mom said.

Gabby turned around and smiled, but not her usual sweet smile... her evil "I know something you don't" smile.

"Oh no. What did I miss?" I almost didn't want to hear the answer.

"We were just discussing a moment you may remember from 2nd grade. Tell me if this rings a bell. Sweet little Troy and Chad were standing on the top of the playset, and a young child that you didn't like was standing below you, so as an evil form of revenge, you decide to pee on him?" Gabriella said this all with a mischievous grin, looking very smug.

I could feel myself growing bright red. The poor kid who I peed on was looking up... he got a face full of urine. Not one of my best moments.

"MOM. DAD. Seriously?"

The trio just burst out laughing. Gabriella then stood up, wrapped her arms around me, and gave me a peck on the lips.

"I love you anyway, my little park pooper." This just caused more fits of laughs.

"I did not poop, thank you very much. And dear, sweet Ella. I would not let my parents tell you too many stories, as I have some of you that I could share AND your mother's phone number." I knew my words hit their mark, as she paled a bit, but still had the smile on her face. I then kissed her on the cheek and walked to get breakfast. Before long, we had all finished eating, so Gabby and I had made plans with Chad, Taylor, Ryan, and Kelsey to go on the Danforths boat. There was a single large lake about 20 minutes away from my house that Chad and I always used to go on, so I was excited to take Gabs there. We both went to our respective rooms and then changed. Once I had finished changing I walked across the hall to Gabby's room and knocked on the door.

"Ella, you ready?"

"Come on in!" She yelled. After I walked in, I could barely move my feet. She was wearing a blue bikini with a high neckline. SHe looked fantastic. I couldn't help but stare.

"Earth to Troy."

"Hmmm."

SHe quickly threw a cover-up over her head.

"Like what you see, Wildcat?"

"Oh yeah. You are breathtaking." She moved towards me and kissed me. No matter how many times we kissed, each kiss was special and as meaningful as our first. the only thought playing through my head is that one day I will marry this girl. How did I ever get so lucky?

"Come on, Troy. We better go... We don't want to be late!" Before I knew what was happening, we were out the door and in my car, driving toward the lake.

 _ **I am trying to decide if I want to actually write the day at the lake out, or just go back to school. Any ideas are welcome and appreciated!**_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Gabriella and I hopped in the car and headed to Chad's house. By the time we got there, we saw all of the old high school gang were waiting. Chad, Zeke, and Ryan were playing basketball, well Chad and Zeke were playing basketball and Ryan was attempting. Sharpee, Taylor, and Kelsi were sitting on the side and talking. Gabriella hopped out of the car out ran to Taylor, Kelsi, and Sharpee. All the girls were squealing and started chatting like they never had been apart. I then got out of the car and greeted the guys. I immediately was drawn into a game, and we were playing for another half hour until the girls decided to take matters into their own hands and all started distracting us in order to get us ready to go to the lake. Gabriella snuck up behind me and jumped on my back, which caused me to nearly jump out of my skin, and almost drop her. And the others were surprised in similar ways by their respective partners. Since we were disrupted from the game, we all prepared to leave and soon we were on the road. The guys all launched the boat and we were off. We started off doing tube wars. A game that Chad and I had been playing since we were little. It consisted of two tubes being pulled behind the boat, one was a donut tube and the other was a flat tube. We moved around until we could knock the other people on the other tube off. It was our favorite thing to do. Gabby and I were on the donut. We started off at a relatively slow pace, but soon we were bouncing into each other. Then in one fail swoop, we rammed into each other especially hard and Gabby went flying from my lap and into the water. Zeke slowed the boat and we circled around to get her, but she hadn't surfaced yet. We waited another couple seconds and I was starting to get nervous.

"Gabby!" I called. I looked and she still didn't surface. I then felt hands on my back that pulled me into the water. I surfaced and spluttered. Gabriella was smiling wickedly at me and laughed, a little out of breath.

"Your heavier than I thought you were!" She said panting.

I ignore her and say, " Don't' scare me like that! You had me worried for a sec!"

"Troy, I was a lifeguard. I had to go through extensive training to qualify! I can hold my breath!"

We swam back to the boat, and I was still pouting. After a while, it was lunch time and we headed back to Chad's lake house to eat. We quickly ate, and then went back on the boat for a couple hours. After a few more tube wars, we wrapped up the day and headed back to the house to clean up and play a few yard games. After the girls cleaned up they went to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner, and the guys decided to play a quick game of basketball and then start grilling.

(Gabriella's POV)

Taylor, Kelsi, Sharpay, and I arrived at the grocery store, and we all set out to get the food for dinner. We split into groups of two, and Taylor and I finally got to talk.

"SO Gabs, how have you actually been. Don't give me the watered down version."

"IS it really that obvious?"

"ONly to me."

"Tay, it has been a hard semester."

"Is everything good between you and Troy?"

"Of course! Troy is such a sweetheart. I don't know what I did to deserve him."

"Then, what is it?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love so much about college, but there has been this guy who has consistently tried to seduce me. He has come up to me twice to try to get me to be with him."

"What did he do?"

"Umm, one time he grabbed my shirt, and ripped it, the other time he backed me into a corner and tried to kiss me. Luckily, he hasn't done anything in a while, so I hope he has completely forgotten me, but I can't escape this nagging feeling that something is going to happen."

"I'm sorry, honey. That is hard. How has Troy been with all of this?"

"He has done his best, but I can tell that it bothers him."

Before Taylor could say anything else, Sharpay and Kelsi came back with the food, and we all headed to the checkout. As I pulled out the money to pay, I noticed a piece of paper at the bottom of the cart. I grabbed it, quickly paid then started walking. Haphazardly I opened the folded piece of paper, and then fear filled me as I read what it said.

"I'M WATCHING YOU."

I tried to act nonchalant as we walked out of the store, and started to reason with myself that it couldn't possibly be serious. It was probably just a practical joke. I do my best to put the note out of my mind and enjoy the rest of the evening. I almost forget about it, and we had a great time playing games and eating dinner with our friends. It was just like high school. Troy and I left when it was near midnight, and by then I had completely forgotten about the note. Troy opened the car door for me, and I git in. He came around to the other side and I remembered the note, realizing that I needed to tell him about it. Before he started driving, I start talking.

"Troy?" I realized how uncertain I sounded.

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

"There is something I need to tell you." I rush on without letting him speak. "As we were checking out today at the store, I found a note at the bottom of the cart… it said 'I'm watching you.'" I pause, worried about Troy's reaction. I look up.

I see Troy's face looking towards me with a combination of concern, anger, and love. He then questioned,"Did you see anything or anyone near your cart? Anything suspicious?"

"To be honest I was so busy talking with Taylor that I didn't notice anything."

Before I had finished speaking, Troy pulled me into his lap and held me close, I think more for his own comfort than for mine.

(Troy's POV)

As I pulled Gabi into my lap, I couldn't help but hold her tight. What did my sweet Ella do to deserve this? I can't help but want to protect her, but how could I if someone could reach her at the grocery store. I held onto her tighter, never wanting to let go.

After a short while, Gabi had fallen asleep as I stroked her hair. I gently shifted her to the passenger's seat, and kept my hand on her knee, pulling out of the drive. As I drove down the dark streets on the way home, I still couldn't stop thinking about the note. I love her so much, how could I live with myself if something happened to her, or worse, something happened to her because I couldn't protect her. I turned on the radio to drown out my thoughts.

Come home early after class  
Don't be hanging 'round the back of the schoolyard  
I've been called up by a teacher  
She says she can't even reach you 'cause you're so far  
You've been talking with your fist  
We didn't raise you up like this, now did we  
There have been changes in this house  
Things that you don't know about in this family

It don't make sense, but nevertheless  
You gotta believe us, it's all for the best  
It don't make sense  
The way things go  
Son you should know

Sometimes moms and dads fall out of love  
Sometimes two homes are better than one  
Some things you can't tell your sister 'cause she's still too young  
Yeah you'll understand  
When you love someone

There ain't no one here to blame  
Nothing's going to change with your old friends  
Your room will stay the same  
'Cause you'll only be away on the weekends

It don't make sense, but nevertheless  
You gotta believe us, it's all for the best  
It don't make sense  
The way things go  
Son you should know

Sometimes moms and dads fall out of love  
Sometimes two homes are better than one  
Some things you can't tell your sister 'cause she's still too young  
Yeah you'll understand  
When you love someone

I sang along, and somehow I relaxed, we arrived home before the song ended, so I hopped out of the car, and walked to the other side. I opened Gabby's door and gently lifted her. She moved around a bit and then nestled further into me. I carried her into the house. I slowly walked up the stairs and carried her into her room, laid her on the bed, and tucked her in. I kissed her forehead, and she smiled in her sleep. I quietly walked out of the room and shut the door. I went to my room, hopped into bed, and immediately fell asleep.

The rest of the week flew by, and soon Gabby and I were at the airport, preparing to depart. I said goodbye to Mom and Dad. My Mom was crying.

"Oh, Honey! I'll miss you so much!"

"Don't worry, Mom. We'll be back for Christmas before you know it!"

"Troy! I wasn't talking to you! I was talking to Gabby!" I roll my eyes as Gabby giggles. Before I knew it. We were finally on the plane heading back to school.


	11. Chapter 11

_**I am so, so sorry for how long it has taken me to update this! I have been very busy lately, and haven't had as much time as I would like to work on this! I would like to particularly thank thoughts-of-joy-dreams-of-love for their continued support and kind words! This chapter is pure fluff, and as of right now, I am planning to just get Troy and Gabriella through freshman year as quickly as possible, but any ideas, feedback, and constructive criticism are appreciated!**_

Soon, Christmas had come and gone, flying by quickly, and we were headed back to school. Shortly after that, we had the performance of our play, and the basketball season began! As the days passed by, Gabby and I were seeing less and less of each other. She was busy with homework, and I was at practice almost constantly. It has been hard not seeing my Ella as frequently as the previous semester, but this week I have my first game to look forward to. NO matter how little we had seen each other in the past couple of weeks, I knew nothing would keep her from being at the game. As the week led up to the game, anticipation, and nerves began to fill me. Finally, it was Friday. The whole school seemed to anticipate the game; though I would never admit it I was more nervous than I had ever been. The coach expected a lot from me, and it would be my first game without Chad. As I steadily became more and more panicked, Gabby, as usual, seemed to sense my stress as she texted me.

"Hey, Babe! How are you doing? I can't wait to see you rock their worlds tonight! Love you:)"

I immediately texted back.

"To be honest, a little stressed, but I am just focusing on seeing a certain beautiful girl tonight:)"

"Who would that be?"

"Very funny, Gabs."

"Love you too;) I've got to go to class, but then I will head to the game! I might even where Berkeley colors;)"

I chuckled to myself and said goodbye. Just knowing she would be there calmed me. Before I knew it I was in the locker room with my jersey having a pep talk with the team. We headed out to the arena and were greeted by deafening cheers and applause. We approached the court and began practicing our layups and free throws. As the five chosen for the court at the beginning took their positions I from my bench vantage point sought out Gabriella. It took a minute, but I soon locked eyes with an unmistakable pair of deep chocolate brown eyes. I saw my Ella smiling at me and she mouthed what I understood to be "I love you, Wildcat." Then we broke eye contact as the game began.

Within the first 5 minutes, I could already see this would be a high scoring game. We were currently up by 5, but our luck would not last. Right before the first quarter ended our star player was injured, as after he came down from his shot he landed on his ankle, and I heard a snap. His foot was most decidedly broked. the coach quickly put in the other senior who had not been played yet, and before we could blink it was halftime and we were down by thirty. In short, we were being creamed. We went to the locker during the half-time and then we were back. What surprised me was then the coach put me in...freshman were never put in. When I stepped on the court, all of a sudden a sense of calm came over me, and I knew what to do. My body took over for me, and I moved by instinct alone. I lost count of how many baskets I shot, and even more, of how many went in. Finally, the game had 1 minute left. We had made a significant comeback, and we had let very few baskets in, but we were still behind by 2. I looked around, none of my teammates were open, and I knew I had to just stall until we got a shot, we couldn't afford to let the other team get the ball. 30 seconds left, and still, no one was open. 20 seconds, no one open. 10 seconds, I looked desperately around. No one. I was still around half court. 5 seconds. I looked around and caught a glimpse of Gabriella. She gave me strength, and I took a deep breath. 2 seconds. the ball was flying through the air. I watched as it landed in the hoop. We won. nothing that happened after that registered in my brain until the need to hug and hold Gabby overwhelmed me. I weeded my way through the crowd of teammates, who all offered congratulations at a great game. And then I saw her. My beautiful girl.

Before I knew what hit me, Gabby latched on to me and hugged me.

"I am so proud of you, Wildcat! You were amazing!"

Before she could say more, I kissed her soundly on the lips and though I could feel her initial surprise, quickly she melted into the kiss. We broke apart, and then she said impishly:

"Troy, you are still holding me." I hadn't even realized I was, but then I noticed the presence of her legs wrapped around my waste. I didn't even respond, I just tightened my grip around her waist.

"Well, when I haven't seen my beautiful girlfriend hardly at all in the past 2 weeks, then it's not like I'll just let her go when she's finally here!"

Eventually, I set Gabby down as I needed to quickly take a shower before we headed out to grab some food. I think I took the fastest shower of my life, and as I was on my way back to Gabriella, the coach stopped me.

"Troy, fantastic job today! If your work continues to be like today, then I just might have to make you a starter!"

"Thank you, sir. I was glad to be given the opportunity to play. Any word on James(injured player)?"

"No, but I fear he may not be able to play again after that fall."

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, I felt a pair of arms, wrap around my waist in a hug. I knew it could only be one person. I turned towards Gabby and smiled. A couple of years previously, I never could have imagined she would so willingly show affection in public, but she has grown so much in her shy nature, and it fills me with pride to know that this beautiful girl loves me enough to hold me like this. I reached my arm and placed it around her shoulders.

"Coach, this is my lovely girlfriend, Gabriella Montez."

"It is great to meet you, Coach Smith! Troy has told me so much about you and the team." Gabriella added on.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Montez. Troy talks about you all the time, I didn't believe his description of your beauty could be accurate, but I must say, he wasn't exaggerating! Troy, don't lose this one."

"I will do everything in my power not to," Troy said with a smile.

"It was a delight meeting you Miss Montez, see you in practice, Troy." With that, the coach left. I moved to grab Gabriella's hand and noticed she was wearing my old basketball jersey, It filled me with pride to see her in it. She had styled it as a dress due to the fact that I am a foot taller than her, and her petite frame was dwarfed by my size.

We headed out of the stadium and drove to the ice cream place.

 _ **Thank you for reading!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**I am so sorry for how long it has taken me to update! I have been really busy with school, but I am going to try and post once every week or so! Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated! Also, any ideas for the story are extremely welcome! Thanks for reading!**_

Time came and went and Gabriella was at every one of Troy's basketball games. He called her his lucky charm. They were very intentional in every moment they spent together, but soon all the stress piled up on both of them. Gabriella spent every spare second studying for exams, while Troy constantly was practicing basketball in hopes of being captain the next year. They eventually grew more and more distant. Fear consumed Gabriella, fear of failing, fear of letting her loved one's down, fear of not being worthy of love. So Gabriella committed to every single thing someone asked of her. She tutored four different people; she worked a job in the college's cafeteria; she always listened to and encouraged Troy every time he struggled. Gabriella soon grew to be the most loved girls on both campuses. Every time she went to Berkeley, she would sit and eat with Troy and the basketball team, but would also move to eat with those who were alone. She encompassed kindness and sweetness, but as a result, everyone used her, not always intentionally, but they did. In the course of a woman's life, it is generally accepted that most feel alone at least for a time. This was the case for Gabriella. She was afraid of letting anyone down and admitting that she couldn't do it all was not an option, because her word meant everything to her. If she said she would do something, she would do it. She would never pile onto someone else something that she committed to. This eventually broke Gabriella. She was barely getting any sleep, she was not eating, and she lost some of her vibrance. While for some this may cause warning lights to go off in her friend's minds, they all had only known Gabriella for the past months and she claimed that she had been through worse. The hard part was that Gabriella was an actor, so she knew how to fake being alright. All of this was to set the scene of what was about to happen. Troy's basketball season had ended, as well as his exams. Gabriella was in her final week, exam week. As a surprise Troy came over to Stanford. As he searched for Gabriella she mentioned that Gabriella might be in the music room. It was there that Troy found Gabriella, unbeknownst to Gabriella. As Troy stood there about to move, he heard Gabriella start playing.

 _If you can't read my mind, I'll say I'm doing fine,_

 _My life is great, I say through my beaming smile._

 _But if you read my mind, you'd know that I'm not fine,_

 _I'm only waiting for someone to ask me._

 _But if I let myself cling to you again,_

 _I'd quickly come to depend on it,_

 _When it constantly knows no bound,_

 _I'd cling to you till you let me down._

 _It's more safe to let you be._

As Gabriella sang, her usually petite frame, now even smaller from a lack of food, shook with emotion. Tears streamed down her face, as she struck the last chord. Unconsciously, Troy reached to rub his face and realized tears soaked his face. Had his Gabriella been dealing with this feeling all alone? How long had she felt this way? Why hadn't she told me? These questions whirred through his head, and his feet moved forward with a mind of their own. He saw Gabriella turn and face him. He promptly knelt down on his knees beside her on the bench and engulfed her in his arms. She leaned into him, sobbing. They remained there for what felt like hours. He whispered soothing words in her ears and rubbed her back. At that moment she felt so small and fragile in his arms.

"Gabriella?" he whispered, " Is this how you have been feeling?"

She didn't respond but buried her face in his shoulder. Troy gently lifted her face to look at him and saw her beautiful, brown eyes were puffy with crying.

"Honey, please talk to me."

She parted her lips as if trying to force words out, but they were stopped by something. Then in a moment, everything came flooding out.

"I am just so tired of doing everything and nothing turns out the way I want it to be! I go around helping everyone and I can't help them to the best of my ability! I am not able to spend enough time on my grades, I am keeping things from you. I am so tired of trying t do everything and not being enough. I am tired of being the rock for everyone, but not having a rock for myself!"

With this final statement, the anger dissipated from her and left her feeling weak and vulnerable. She looked at the floor once more, afraid to see Troy's reaction.

"Sweetheart, look at me."

Slowly lifting her eyes to meet Troy's gaze, she did not see what she thought she would. Instead of annoyance or sadness, all she saw was love. As if to confirm her thoughts, Troy spoke.

"You are not alone. You are loved more than you can possibly imagine. Sweetheart, if you feel this way, tell me. You have always been my rock, please know that I want to be your rock."

Nothing else needed to be said. It was through those words that Gabriella first understood how much Troy loved her.

"I love you, Troy."

It was then that Gabriella knew she could get through exams and make it to summer. After hearing all Gabriella's worries, Troy spent the next couple days with Gabriella almost constantly, helping her study, and being there if she needed him. It was at the end of the week that Gabriella got her scores back having aced them. She and troy finally felt at peace after the crazy year they had. They bega the summer with light hearts thankful for the having made it through the year.

 ** _Hey all, I wrote this at the beginning of the summer, and had every intention of posting it, but never got around to it! I hope you enjoy, and I will try to start being on top of their sophomore and junior years._**


	13. Chapter 13

**_As promised, I bring you a chapter promptly:) Unfortunately, this is round 2 on this chapter as the last time I write it, it didn't save, so we'll see how this goes._**

 ** _(Gabriella's POV)_**

It felt like summer just flew by and before I knew it I was in my room packing for school. As I folded my clothes I thought over the summer. As mom has been moving all over for work, I stayed at the Bolton's all summer, in their guest room. I can't believe Troy and I are sophomores. This year we are both in the same dorms as we had last year. I have a new roommate named Rose, however, Troy and Danny are rooming together again. Danny had become a great friend of ours over the summer and even stayed with us at one point during the summer. Overall, I guess I am excited about school, however, I am realizing that we never dealt with Byron Steel, and I don't know if he will back off this year.

As I pondered all that would happen this year, I felt a pair of strong arms around me. I looked over and saw Troy. Even after 3 years, his slightly mischevious smile made my heart beat faster.

"What are you up to?" I asked giggling.

"I am delighting my beautiful girlfriend with my presence." I snorted in response.

"You should be packing! We leave tomorrow!" I cajoled him.

"I don't want tooooo," Troy said this in the winey 5-year-old voice he had whenever he or his mother expected something remotely unpleasant from him.

"Just think of how nice it will feel to have it done."

"If you are trying to motivate me, you are utterly failing."

"How about this for motivation? No hugs. No kisses. No hand-holding until it is done." I smirked to myself thinking I had just won the battle, and then I felt myself being lifted up over his shoulder and thrown down on the bed. Troy then proceeded to jump on top of me, pin me down and began tickling me.

"Not cool, Gabbi! Here is my deal: you say you love me, call me the best boyfriend ever and kiss me or I am afraid the tickle monster will never release you." He said all this with a very satisfied smirk, as he continued to tickle me.

"I-will-never-give-in!" I said gasping for air. This only spurred Troy to tickle me more vigorously.

"Fine! I-give-up! I-love-you. You-are-the-best-boyfriend-ever!" I then kissed him. Troy immediately ceased the tickling and wrapped his arms around my waist. After a minute or two we both drew back from the kiss out of breath.

"Now are you willing to go pack?"

"Maybe," he said with a smirk, "as long as we have a repeat of this later." I rolled my eyes, but inwardly anticipated the repeat of our make-out session as well. I then swatted at him and he kissed my cheek and walked across the hallway to his room, to pack.

 ** _3 days later: (Troy's POV)_**

"Oh! Both of my babies are starting sophomore year!" My mom gushed as we were saying our goodbyes in the driveway, preparing to begin the road trip to California.

While I didn't love my Mom's babying, a surge of pride rose through me, in that Gabriella was now considered a Bolton by my mom and dad. While I wouldn't propose for at least another year or two, it filled me with comfort knowing that when it came time to make Gabriella my wife, my mom and dad would welcome her as a daughter. I could already imagine the family Christmas's in years to come, gathered around the fireplace, a little girl with my eyes and Gabriella's hair, a little boy in Gabriella's arms.

"Troy, you there?" Gabriella's voice entered my thoughts as I realized that I must have been daydreaming. Gabriella looked confused, but my parents had these annoying, knowing smirks on their faces.

After a couple more minutes, Gabby and I said our goodbyes and began our road trip into sophomore year.

When we arrived on campus, it felt so familiar, and this year I was even more known because of basketball. Gabriella and I finished getting mine and Danny's dorm set up, even her friend Rose came to help us both as Danny and I were going to help them move into their dorm. We all arrived at the cafeteria and sat down to our first meal back. It felt like we had never left.

"So Rose, what hobbies do you pursue in your free time?" Gabby and I both coughed as Danny asked this. he is the epitome of a suave ladies man, and to have Danny act like this was new. Rose shyly blushed and responded mildly. Gabby and I looked at each other and laughed, while Danny and Rose nervously talked.

After lunch was over the two couples made their way over to the girls' dorm and we set that up, by the end of the night we all felt like we had known each other for years.

"And then we all came home covered in mud and smelling like ketchup, hot sauce, and fudge!" Danny finished the end of his tale with a laugh. Gabby then rose to get more lemonade.

"You guys want anything?" she asked.

"I'll take a Pepsi," I said.

Rose then stood saying she would go with Gabby.

"Rose is something else isn't she?" Danny sighed, looking like a lovestruck puppy.

"Do I sense you are getting a crush on our dear Rosie?" I teasingly responded.

"Troy," he said irritably, "be a pal and actually help me!"

"Fine. Do you want Gabs and me to leave you two alone for a bit?"

"Yes! That would be awesome."

"Ok, great. I'll go see if Gabby wants to go on a walk." I got up and walked towards Gabriella and put my arms around her waist.

"You want to go for a walk?"

"Sure," she said smiling.

I led her outside to the park nearby and we started talking.

"Was this just to get Danny and Rose alone? You would have to be blind to not notice the flirting between the two!"

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure it out."

"Don't try to pull a fast one on me, Bolton."

I laughed and pulled her closer, might as well use the opportunity, and I kissed her. After a minute or two I felt her stiffen.

"What's the matter, honey?"

"I just felt like someone was watching us." I looked around and didn't see anything.

"Are you sure?"

"No, I guess I was just being paranoid."

"We should probably get back inside anyway," I said and pecked her lips.

We went inside to see Rose and Danny smiling and holding hands. At my nervous cough, they broke apart and their faces turned tomato red. Before long, Danny and I drove back to our dorm, ready to begin the next year.

 ** _Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it, and let me know if you liked hearing about Danny and Rose!_**


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